In the late fall, a
group of Golden Rescue volunteers in and near Arkansas
attended an auction where puppy millers were putting
dogs up for sale. The volunteers purchased as many
Goldens as they could that day, saving approximately 70
from living the rest of their lives in other puppy
mills.

GRRI was asked if we
could help by taking some of the rescued puppy mill
dogs. Former GRRI president and long time Golden
breeder Judy Laureano, who now lives in Tennessee,
graciously agreed to help.

Transportation was
arranged, and a sweet gentle female, Dolly, arrived at
Judy's home.

Soon after, Dolly
began showing signs of pregnancy ... and sure enough,
she was. We were grateful beyond measure
that Dolly had been sent to Judy, who has so much
breeding experience behind her.

What are
puppy mills?
Puppy mills are harsh, squalid and inhumane
factory style dog breeding farms that are
incomprehensible to those of us who care about
responsible breeding, and who consider our dogs
to be intelligent, feeling creatures deserving
of safe, comfortable and well loved lives.

How do
puppy mills thrive?Most puppy mills own hundreds of dogs of
various breeds, and produce thousands of puppies
per year without applying the fundamental
hallmarks of selective breeding and companion
animal care -- such as screening for inheritable
diseases and temperament problems; or providing
proper nutrition, adequate housing, or
appropriate veterinary care. With virtually
none of the standard and humane considerations
at play, puppy milling is a very lucrative
business model.

Are
puppy mills regulated?Although puppy mills are licensed by the
USDA, most fly under the radar of USDA
inspectors, who are already overburdened with
their primary role -- overseeing the nation's
food supply. It's no surprise, then, that
conditions at most puppy mills are substandard
or worse.

Where
are puppy mills?
In this part of the country, Pennsylvania leads
the list. But the mid-west is the most prolific
puppy mill region.

How
do these puppies reach consumers?
The millers sell them to puppy brokers, who then
transport and sell them to pet shops nationwide,
where consumers buy them at a high retail price,
and without knowing the abysmal conditions they
perpetuate through their purchase.

Why
are consumers confused?
Most of these puppies are registered with the
AKC, which gives people the mistaken impression
that they have been bred with care and concern.
But the AKC is not a regulatory agency -- and in
this context, they are simply a listing service
that assigns each puppy a unique registration
number and tabulates the number of dogs
registered each year by breed.

Another harsh reality is that there are puppy
mill auctions.
When millers go out of business, or simply want
to clear out their *inventory*, they contract
with auctioneers who sell the dogs to the
highest bidder.

Again,
humane issues such as inheritable diseases,
temperament, proper nutrition, adequate housing
and appropriate vet care are ignored in these
auctions. The only concern is profit -- for the
miller, the auctioneer, and the buyer -- who
most often buys the stock for his or her own
puppy mill

What Can YOU Do About Puppy Mills? Learn more about puppy mills and help educate
others -- let your search engine be your
guide. The web is filled with informative sites
that will tell you and show you the
truths about puppy mills.

Spay and
neuter your pets. It makes sense for lots
of reasons -- health and pet overpopulation
chief among them. But when you have PUREBRED
dogs, spaying and neutering also prevents your
dogs from becoming puppy mill breeding stock if
they are lost or stolen. (Yes, THIS happens!)

NEVER
buy a puppy in a pet store, and shop for
supplies ONLY in pet stores that DON'T sell
puppies. Remember: With every pet
store purchase, you send a message to the entire
puppy mill trade.

At the end of
January, Judy and her husband Ray drove Dolly and the
puppies up to New Jersey. Other GRRI
volunteers had been busy all month too, prescreening
the many applicants who wanted Dolly or one of her
pups.

And now the
day was here, Puppy Day:
Saturday, January 29th.

Everyone was
ready, and excited. But first the pups
needed a snooze.

And then
it was bath time ....

And then it was time
for families and puppies to meet and fall in love.

Kevin
Wilkening & Laura Smith with Culver & Dolly

The
Rosenblatt Family with Chelsea

Shari &
Jordan Stack with Casey

Priscilla
Prickett with Clifford & Dolly

The
Pappayliou Family with Gracie & Dolly

Olivia &
Bill Bergner with Chloe

The Sbraga
Family with Shylow

Denise Holtz
& Kelly Blazejewski with Tazo & Dolly

Shiloh went home to her adoptive family, the
Kings, the following day.

Rufus went into foster care and is currently looking
for a forever family.

Dickens is
also in foster care and looking for a family to love
him.

It was a
difficult day for Dolly, who still was very
attached to her puppies and reacted when each
one left with its new adopted family.
But finally, the day was done and it was time
for Dolly to head to her new family, too.

Dolly looks
so sad leaving ...

But so happy
in her new forever home with Ellie Marshall

Dolly, may you and your puppies have long,
happy, healthy lives with your new families!

Thanks to the following GRRI Volunteers for all
they did to help Dolly and her puppies get off to
such wonderful new lives:
Judy & Ray Laureano
Terry & Joe Veiga
Eileen & Drew McFadden
Ruth Osman
Linda Walter
The Adoption Interview and Home Visit Teams